When an error occurs in hardware, information of the error that occurs is stored in a non-volatile memory, such as an SRAM and an NVRAM, or a storage area of a storage device, such as a hard disk. The user knows occurrence of a hardware error by referring to stored error information, and uses the information as a guide for parts replacement.
On the other hand, when errors of the same content occur frequently and all of error information is stored in a storage area, problems described below are generated.
Since a large amount of error information is stored in a storage area, shortage of the storage area is apt to be generated.
A storage area becomes full with errors of the same content, and the user needs to spend time for checking whether or not other errors have occurred.
Since many errors are notified, error notification time becomes long and performance of processing other than error notification is deteriorated.
Therefore, when errors of the same content occur frequently, or in similar cases, there generally used a function for recording an error occurrence history and disabling storing of error information exceeding a certain amount.
On the other hand, some computer systems include a hot replace function that enables replacement of some modules of hardware while a system is operated. The hot replace function is used when hardware, for which errors occur frequently, is replaced without stopping a system.
When hardware is replaced, hardware after replacement is hardware, for which no error has occurred. Accordingly, when an error occurs for the hardware after replacement, such an error needs to be notified since there is need for consideration of replacement again. That is, when a hardware error occurs after hardware is replaced during operation of a system, such an error needs to be notified.
In general, two types of methods described below are used for not disabling error notification after hardware replacement.
A first method is a method of enabling error notification by clearing information indicating “error notification is disabled” at a timing of hardware replacement.
When setting for disabling error notification and the like is made in software, such as server management software and a service processor, that manages replacement of hardware, a method of clearing information indicating “error notification is disabled” at the time of hardware replacement is used since the user can know a timing of the hardware replacement.
A second method is a method of providing an area for managing an occurrence history of errors in hardware to be replaced.
First, an area that stores the number of times of error occurrences and information indicating “error notification is disabled” is provided in hardware to be replaced. When errors occur frequently and the hardware in a state where “error notification is disabled” is replaced, error notification after hardware replacement can set to be not disabled, since an area that manages an error history of hardware after replacement has information indicating “error notification is not disabled” as an initial state.